Front office excited about Draft possibilities

By Corey Brock / MLB.com

PHILADELPHIA -- The annual First-Year Player Draft is three weeks from Monday and the Padres have six of the top 70 overall selections, which has scouting director Jaron Madison and many of those within the front office excited about adding to a farm system already brimming with talent.

"We're sitting good," Madison said recently.

When the Draft begins on June 4, the Padres will have their own pick (No. 7 overall), the 33rd overall pick and then picks Nos. 44, 55, 68 and 70.

The Padres received two additional Draft picks (Nos. 33 and 70) after Heath Bell signed with the Marlins, the 44th pick after Aaron Harang signed with the Dodgers, the 55th pick when 2011 draftee Brett Austin didn't sign and then their second-round pick (No. 68).

With their third-round pick, the Padres actually have seven selections in the first 102 overall Draft picks.

How have the Padres been preparing for the Draft? By getting many more looks and from more sets of eyes than a year ago when they had six of the first 82 overall picks.

"We're getting more looks this year than last year. Everyone is crisscrossing and seeing guys from out of their region," Madison said. "The various cross-checkers and scouts are switching regions. It's important to see guys at the beginning, the middle and the end [of their seasons] and get different opinions from everyone.

"We'll have good conversations from there and lots of debates and arguments on players. So it will be fun."

So debates and arguments are actually good?

"It's all about getting the best players for the Padres so we want everyone to have an opinion, to go in and fight about your players and argue your points," he said. "But once a decision is made everyone is on board and we're all supportive. We're working well together."

At this point, Madison and first-year assistant general manager of player personnel Chad MacDonald have presided over weekly conference calls with their cross-checkers to go over what they have seen, target guys to look at moving forward and much more.

Beginning Sunday, Madison, MacDonald and national crossc-heckers Bob Filotei and Bill Gasparino will travel to each region to meet with each regional supervisor and that region's area scouts. On May 27, the Padres cross-checkers and supervisors will meet in San Diego for their pre-draft meetings.

Madison said the upcoming Draft has a lot of high school talent, but "after the first two or three rounds it's deeper with college guys."

Quentin suffers setback in rehab on knee

PHILADELPHIA -- Outfielder Carlos Quentin, who's attempting to work his way back from March knee surgery, has had a "minor setback," manager Bud Black said Saturday.

Quentin, who is with Class A Lake Elsinore on a Minor League rehabilitation assignment, was scheduled to play on Friday for the Storm. He didn't, and later called Black in Philadelphia to say that his surgically-repaired right knee is still bothering him, particularly when he's in his hitting stance.

"The knee is still a little sore," Black said. "He's still having a little bit of discomfort getting in the box and in his stance with the load on his back leg. We decided to take a step back."

Quentin won't play Saturday or Sunday and with the Storm off on Monday, the soonest he could play in another game would be Tuesday.

"He's taking it day by day," Black said.

When Quentin had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in San Diego on March 19, the initial prognosis was that he would be sidelined between four and six weeks. Quentin later told reporters "I'd like to miss less [time]."

Quentin is currently seven weeks and five days removed from surgery.

The surgery Quentin had was to repair some meniscus tearing and remove loose particles in the knee.

To date, Quentin has played in seven Minor League games, hitting .286. He last appeared in a game on May 10.

Six days ago at Petco Park, Quentin said he was encouraged by his progress. But he didn't play Tuesday or Wednesday for Lake Elsinore before appearing in Thursday's game. He hasn't played since.

"I think we're a lot closer," he said on May 7. "I'm not counting out the road trip."

Brach performs well in front of hometown fans

PHILADELPHIA -- There was no chance Brad Brach was going to be able to hear the 75 or so friends and family who attended the Padres game on Friday against the Phillies at Citizens Banks Park, not with a partisan (and sold-out) crowd of 44,056 making plenty of noise.

Yet when Brach, who grew up one hour away in Freehold, N.J. started to warm-up in the visiting bullpen, he heard one familiar voice above the din of noise coming from Phillies fans -- that of his 30-year-old brother, Brian.

"I heard him yelling, '58' the whole time I was warming up," Brach said, referring to his uniform number. "He was all pumped up."

He had a good reason to be, as did Brach, who entered the game in the sixth inning with a runner on second base and one out after starting pitcher Clayton Richard left. Brach proceeded to strike out Brian Schneider and then got Jimmy Rollins looking at a 94-mph two-seam fastball to end the inning.

"There were a lot of people here ... my high school basketball coach, a lot of people I haven't seen in a few years," Brach said. "Everyone was so excited. And to do well, that made it even better."

Since returning from Triple-A Tucson on May 4, Brach hasn't allowed a run in four innings. He has eight strikeouts over that span.

Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. Keep track of @FollowThePadres on Twitter. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.